Aachen

Introduction

Aachen sits at the far western edge of Germany, close to the borders with both Belgium and the Netherlands, and within the Meuse–Rhine Euroregion. Cologne and Bonn lie to the east, while the Belgian border runs along the city's southwest and the Dutch border along its northwest. It is the seat of the Städteregion Aachen.

Before you go

Aachen sits where Germany meets Belgium and the Netherlands, forming the heart of the Euregio Maas-Rhein — when locals say "the Euregio", this is the one they mean. It was the preferred residence of Charlemagne, emperor of a realm spanning much of modern Italy, France, Germany and the Benelux, and that imperial legacy shapes how the city presents itself today. It is a legally recognised spa, yet it declines to call itself Bad Aachen, preferring to stay first in alphabetical lists.

On the whole it is one of Germany's safer cities, and casual visitors need not worry; the centre is usually bustling, especially during the school year, though pickpockets may take advantage of people enjoying a drink. The immediate surroundings of the main railway station and the Bushof bus station attract junkies, and some neighbourhoods south of the centre can feel sketchy if you are unused to post-industrial towns, but most areas are fine. As a border town there is some drug trafficking, though you will not be affected unless you are directly involved.

Getting there

Aachen sits on major routes between the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, so it is easy to reach by car via the A4 and A44. If you are arriving by train, Aachen Hauptbahnhof is your best bet: it is served by all trains going to and through the city and is closest to the centre. Four smaller stations also serve the city — Aachen Rothe Erde, Aachen Schanz, Aachen West and Aachen Eilendorf — but the main station is the most convenient if you are unsure. Eurostar and ICE trains connect Aachen directly with Liège, Brussels and Paris, while ICE services run every two hours from Frankfurt via Cologne, daily from Berlin via Hanover, and occasionally from Hamburg. Flixtrain also serves the city. Local trains from Liège run hourly; take one operated by Belgian Railways via Verviers rather than the Arriva service via Maastricht, which takes half an hour longer. Regionalexpress trains arrive every half hour from Siegen via Cologne and from Hamm via Düsseldorf, taking around 55 minutes from Cologne and 85 to 110 minutes from Düsseldorf. Regional trains from Maastricht reach Aachen via Heerlen, Landgraaf and Herzogenrath in about an hour, and ÖBB's Nightjet sleeper calls twice a week on its run from Brussels to Vienna, Munich and Innsbruck. If you plan to travel around the Aachen-Liège-Maastricht triangle, look into the Euregioticket day ticket, which covers most local trains and buses in the region.

By air, Aachen shares Maastricht-Aachen airport with Maastricht, but it lies some 40 km outside the centre in the Netherlands, is served by budget carriers to a limited range of destinations, and can only be reached by public transport via Maastricht. The nearest major international airports are Düsseldorf and Cologne-Bonn, both an hour away by train via their central stations or by car, and Brussels is also within close proximity, reachable by train with a change in Liège, Leuven or Brussels. Smaller airports within reasonable distance include Weeze in Germany, Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and Brussels South Charleroi in Belgium — all bases for low-cost airlines, reachable by car in roughly 1h30 or by lengthy train journeys with several changes. Liège airport is 45 minutes by car and has some charter flights, and Antwerp airport requires a 90-minute drive. If none of these work for you, Frankfurt, Germany's main hub, has a direct ICE connection and trains to Aachen with one interchange or less. For some airports, the rail&fly programme offered by German railways together with several airlines might be an option. Long-distance buses also serve Aachen: Arriva runs from Maastricht and Heerlen, with line 350 from Maastricht every 15 minutes through Margraten and Vaals, and line 44 between Heerlen and Aachen; Flixbus operates national and international routes arriving at Henricistraße; and Sindbad runs international services to Poland and Ukraine. Buses call at three locations depending on the operator — beside Aachen Hauptbahnhof, at Henricistraße north-west of the centre, and at Wilmersdorfer Straße to the east. Parking in the town centre is charged by the hour, and park and ride is available around the outskirts. Car-sharing is common in Germany, with blablacar.de and mitfahrgelegenheit.de useful for finding rides, though booking far in advance is less likely to succeed. Hitchhiking is also a possibility, with details available in the Aachen article at hitchwiki.

Getting around

The old town is compact and best explored on foot, with orientation signs placed all around the centre to help you find your way. Beyond the centre, though, Aachen is a fairly large city, so you will need wheels for anything further out. There is no tram, U-Bahn or S-Bahn network here, so your options are buses, the local euregio-Bahn train line, taxis and ride-hailing, bikes, e-scooters and car-sharing.

• By bus: ASEAG runs the city bus system, including a few night lines, and most routes converge on the central bus station, the Bushof, near the city centre. You can buy tickets from the driver. On arrival it is worth visiting the ASEAG Customer-Centre opposite the main bus station, where you can pick up timetables for all the company's routes and speak to an adviser. Timetables for other operators are not available there, such as the number 50 to Maastricht or the number 66 to Monschau.
• By train: The euregio-Bahn local line stops at Aachen West (not far from RWTH Aachen University), Aachen-Schanz, Aachen Hauptbahnhof (the most convenient for the city centre) and Aachen-Rothe Erde. Ticket machines are available at all stations.
• By car and car-sharing: The city centre is mostly blocked to car traffic, and parking can get expensive, especially in the centre. A car can come in handy in the outskirts. The car-sharing company Cambio has numerous stations in Aachen and also offers stations in many other German and Belgian cities.
• By bike: The terrain is hilly and Aachen is not the most bike-friendly town in Germany, but there are a number of bike routes and cycling is increasingly popular. Some bike thefts have been reported, so reasonable caution is advised. You can park under surveillance and rent a bike at the "fahrrad station" near the central train station.
• By e-scooter: Several rental systems such as Tier and Voi operate in Aachen in a similar fashion to other German cities.
• By taxi and ride-hailing: Taxis are readily available on the streets and at fixed locations, such as near Aachen Hauptbahnhof station, Aachen Rothe Erde station and in Pontstraße, with the same conditions as in the rest of Germany. Uber also serves the city.

Where to stay

For budget stays, you have a couple of options. Hostel Aachen sits on Mauerstraße, close to the city centre, while Youth Hostel Aachen (Jugendherberge Aachen – Euregionales Jugendgästehaus) is on Maria Theresia Allee.

• Hostel Aachen — close to the city centre
• Youth Hostel Aachen — the Euregional youth guesthouse

In the mid-range, Leonardo Hotel Aachen lies north of the centre, between the stadium and junction 3 of the A4. Hotel Granus on Passstraße is a friendly, family-run place with twelve rooms and a cosy B&B atmosphere; it is clean, conveniently located in the city centre, and its fairly modern rooms and somewhat quaint breakfast area earn good reviews, making it suited to family stays too — though reception keeps limited hours at weekends. At the top end, Pullman Aachen Quellenhof on Monheimsallee offers spacious, comfortable rooms (some of which could do with a little redecoration), a swimming pool, a fitness area and an excellent breakfast buffet.

Food & drink

You'll find plenty of choice in Aachen, from traditional German cooking to Turkish, Syrian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Spanish, Colombian, Greek and French kitchens. Prices in the centre tend to be relatively cheap compared with other German cities, and students gravitate to the snack bars and light meals along Pontstraße. For a quick bite in the centre, try döner kebab and Turkish desserts at Sultans of Kebab on Peterstraße, German cooking at Curry-Palast on Komphausbadstraße, or Syrian dishes at Damascus Gate Restaurant, also on Peterstraße. Around the Ponttor, Pont Grill serves chicken, pizza and Turkish food, Saray offers Turkish food beyond döner kebab, and White House is a cheap but still nice-looking restaurant with special lunch offers. Near the centre, Jakobsimbiss does Chinese and Thai fast food, Del Negro is known for its ice cream, and Babylon, the "Kebab Cube," is there for when you have only a little left to spend.

For something more substantial, Goldener Schwan occupies a 15th-century building opposite the Rathaus and serves local and German meals, including Aachener Puttes, a type of Blutwurst similar to English black pudding. Estado Steakhaus has a salad bar and a wide variety of dishes, Carlos I near the cathedral serves Spanish tapas and paella, San Sheng on Pontdriesch offers authentic Chinese food during weekday lunch hours, Oishii on Pontstraße is a Japanese restaurant where you should reserve ahead, Maranello serves Italian pizza from a real stone oven, Karibik is Colombian, and Bacchus is a Greek restaurant known for its gyros and grill dishes. At the top end, La Bécasse is a French restaurant. When it comes to drinking, there's no need to order at the bar — take a seat and staff will come to you, writing your order on your coaster and asking when you'd like another; when you're ready to pay, hand over the coaster and leave a small tip, typically by rounding up. Pontstraße, running from the Markt by the historic city hall to the Ponttor, is the main student hangout, with restaurants and bars from pizzerias to late-night spots, plus the Apollo cinema, and public fiestas at Karneval and for important football matches. Among the bars are Molkerei near Ponttor for a younger crowd, the posher Cafe Madrid for an older one, Pontgarten for cheap cocktails and food, and Sowiso/Oceans, a typical student inn. Egmont sits at one end of Pontstraße close to the Rathaus and occasionally hosts live music, with food brought over from the Lebanese restaurant next door. Elsewhere, Guinness House is a stereotypical Irish pub and one of the few places in Aachen selling cider, Kiste is a small pub with wooden interior playing mostly rock and metal, and Buddha Bar near the old town square has a non-smoking area upstairs and a smoking area downstairs with a Buddha statue.

What to see and do

Start with the cathedral, the city's defining monument. Its core, the Palace Chapel, dates from around 800, with a Gothic choir and side chapels added in later centuries; the result is a two-storey building of classical pillars, bronze railings, golden masterpieces and glasswork, and it serves as the memorial and funeral place of Charlemagne. Tourist visits are best made on weekday afternoons or weekend afternoons, and access is restricted during mass. Guided tours, including a daily English tour, are booked through the Dominformation visitor centre rather than the cathedral itself. Nearby, the Cathedral Treasury holds ecclesiastical treasures from Antique, Carolingian, Ottonian and Staufian epochs, among them the Cross of Lothair and the Bust of Charlemagne.

Elsewhere in the centre, the medieval Rathaus still houses the mayor's office, the Elisa Fountain recalls the town's thermal waters, and the Grashaus, completed in 1267, is one of Aachen's oldest buildings. The Couven-Museum occupies an 18th-century house, while the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum covers German and Dutch sculpture and painting. For contemporary art, head slightly outside the centre to the Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, whose collection includes works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring, with text in German and English. Architecture enthusiasts can trace styles from 1900 to the present around the RWTH city campus on Templergraben. Further afield are the Zollmuseum Friedrichs, the International Newspaper Museum, and the Belvedere rotating water tower in Lousberg park.

For recreation, walk up the Lousberg, a hill ten minutes north of the centre with views over the city and surrounding landscape, or spend a summer evening on the market square watching students and listening to guitar players. The Frankenberger Viertel, an alternative quarter in the south, is a good spot for lunch or dinner. The Carolus Thermen offers spa, sauna and wellness facilities, and there are outdoor and indoor swimming pools. The city's calendar fills with Carnival in spring, the Pinkpop festival and the CHIO equestrian championship in summer, the September special, and from late November the Christmas market, which spreads across Katschhof, Münsterplatz and the market square with gift stalls, food, drink and Glühwein.

When to go

Aachen has a temperate oceanic climate, so you can expect humid conditions, mild winters and warm summers, with rain spread fairly evenly through the year. Winter is mild but damp and grey, with freezes that are common though usually not severe; snow can fall, and rain persists throughout, so waterproof layers serve you better than heavy cold-weather gear. Spring is changeable and can still bring late frosts and even snow, with rain remaining frequent and the surrounding hills sometimes trapping smog in inversion conditions.

Summer is warm and humid and brings the year's heaviest downpours, and built-up areas can feel hot and close through urban heat islands; rain is still possible, so pack for wet weather as well as warmth. Autumn stays mild and humid with rain spread across the season, daylight shortening and damp, grey days becoming more common, while the first freeze typically arrives in mid-October and snow has been recorded as early as November.

Festivals & events

Three days in Aachen

Day one: Start in the old centre of Aachen, the city known in German as Bad Aachen, and follow the thread that runs through its history back to Charlemagne. The cathedral quarter and the surrounding streets give you the measure of the place, and from there you can wander outward through the districts that make up the Städteregion Aachen. If you arrive by train, you will likely come in at Aachen Hauptbahnhof, with Aachen West, Aachen Schanz, Aachen Rothe Erde and Aachen Eilendorf serving other parts of the city. The Bushof is the central bus hub, useful for reaching the outer neighbourhoods.

• Begin in the historic core around the cathedral and Charlemagne's legacy.
• Use Aachen Hauptbahnhof or the Bushof as your arrival point.
• Get your bearings in the Städteregion Aachen before venturing further.

Day two: Aachen sits where Germany meets Belgium and the Netherlands, in the Euregio Maas-Rhein and the wider Rhine Euroregion. Take advantage of that position. Cross into Belgian or Dutch territory for the day, or head to nearby Liège, Brussels or Cologne, all reachable by rail. Eurostar and ICE services connect Aachen with Liège, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hanover and Hamburg, so the city works well as a base for wider travel. The Meuse and the Rhine frame this cross-border region, and the Euregio Maas-Rhein takes in parts of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

• Cross into Belgium or the Netherlands for a day trip.
• Consider Liège, Brussels or Cologne by train.
• Use Eurostar or ICE for longer connections to Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hanover or Hamburg.

Day three: Return to Aachen and explore at a slower pace. The city's identity is bound up with Charlemagne, whose connections reached Italy and France, and with its place in the Benelux borderlands. Spend the day moving between the centre and the residential districts, using the Bushof or the stations as your anchors. If you have time before departure, a short hop to Cologne or Bonn rounds off the trip, or you can simply stay put and let the cross-border character of the Euregio Maas-Rhein settle in.

• Spend a final day in Aachen's centre and districts.
• Round off with a short trip to Cologne or Bonn if time allows.
• Leave from Aachen Hauptbahnhof or another of the city's stations.